Friday, March 28, 2014

Moorish Column

In the 19th century, "fine" artists produced fantasy art and mythic illustrations which nowadays would be confined to the commercial world. Then there were artists who managed to do well in both worlds. Gustave Dore' was one of them. He was hugely successful in his time. His work illustrating famous poems and national epics is still popular. The 19th century was also the time of "orientalism," where art from colonized "oriental" lands and peoples influenced European artists. This golden column detail is an example of that trend. It is "Moorish" in design but not authentically so; it is used as a fantasy backdrop. I borrowed it from a black and white engraved Dore' illustration of the Italian Renaissance epic "Orlando Furioso." I don't think he'd mind.